Talk:Sparks Will Fly (2)/@comment-25320855-20140419002127
Since everyone is posting Game of Thrones essays, I figured I'd give it a try and discuss why I love Arya Stark What I love most about Arya is that she does not fit the typical mold for the expectations set for a woman during this time period. She is a very independent young woman, who refuses to be constrained by the social expectations of the society in which she lives in such as gender roles, courtly values, class distinctions, and the expectations set for her by her parents and her siblings. Arya is a true "tom boy", as she never has aspired to learn how to be a proper lady, like her older sister Sansa, she'd rather take dancing lessons in order to learn how to wield a sword. When she is relocated to King's landing after Ned becomes the hand to the king, he notices that Arya is miserable. Ned has always understood her rebellious ways, that is why they've always had a special bond. She is in a setting where appearance is essential, more so than it was before when she was home in Winterfell. Ned allows her to enroll in dancing lessons and she excels at it immediately. She has finally found her calling, something in which she shows promise and has great passion for. She knows how to adapt in order to survive. When her father is killed for treason, one of the member's of the Night's Watch cuts her hair and calls her "boy." Arya embraces this new identity and is able to flee King's Landing by presenting herself as a boy. What I admire about her is that, she breaks traditional gender roles and often disguises as a boy if the situation calls for it. She is able to completely adapt and survive in a world where men are considered the dominant gender. She understands what it takes to survive. She never allows herself to be overwhelmed by any situation in which she finds herself, which many people would have been very overwhelmed. She has been faced with death at every turn if she were to be discovered, which would be a difficult situation for anyone. I love how despite all of the trauma that she has experienced, she still has so much strength and determination. Arya has not only experienced the death of her father first hand, but she has also experienced the death of her mother and her eldest brother with her own eyes. She has also experienced other people that she cared deeply for, die one by one. Before the events that stole her innocence from her, Arya was easily able to make anyone smile, simply with her spirit and her indifference towards obeying rules. She is resourceful, very quick on her feet and can hold her own, this is easily demonstrated when she attacks Joffrey when he is antagonizing her friend. She will not hesitate to stand up for what she believes is morally correct. Her relationship with Gendry is very interesting, as well as entertaining and I love watching their scenes together. At the moment, they have more of a sibling relationship, paired with hilarious banter. They look out for each other and they protect each other. They have a very special bond, and yeah it's quite obvious by my username that I want them to end up together.